A Cup of Bittersweet Latte
by The Bittersweet Nightshade
Summary: Fate had such an interesting way of writing another love story. But, neither her nor him knew the fact. Well, shame on them. AU


**A Cup of Bittersweet Latte**

'_True__ love has a habit of coming back, usually in the most unexpected ways.__'_

_A One shot by The Bittersweet Nightshade  
_

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**Disclaimer** : I don't own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does. *sob*

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I woke up to the sound of my beeping alarm clock as a yawn escaped my wide-opened mouth, and banged on the infuriating little thing with so much animosity. The thing drifted me away from my sweet, imaginative dreams every single day, successfully turned it into the sole objective of my hatred. Perceptible cracks started to appear on the surface of the poor maroon-colored clock and I wondered just how much longer this one could hold out.

My eyes adjusted to the glowing numbers on it and saw that the time was seven a.m., meaning I still had one and a half hours before the start of my first class.

I dragged my feet out of the cozy bedroom to the hallway connecting several rooms inside my apartment. Well, not _my _to be precise, given the fact that the rental cost was beyond my reach, I'd decided to share it with a best friend since high school. And here I was, all bright and happy for being able to savor the lavishness of a fantastic place at half-price.

In the living room, after I shook off the last vestiges of grogginess, I could see Yori sipping a cup of tea while reading today's newspaper in such a grandfatherly way that I gnawed my bottom lip to hide the laugh which was in danger of bursting out. Sensing my presence, she glanced up and furrowed her light brown brows.

"Why the weird face, Yuuki?"

"Nothing," I answered, trying to pull out a convincing tone, but by the demanding expression on her face, it was obvious just how _staggering_ my acting skill was.

Please note the sarcasm.

I let out the laugh I'd been holding and got a glare as a response.

"Okay, okay," I managed to talk. "It's just that . . . the sight of you looking like an old dude has set off . . . the cheery personality of mine!"

Her scowl had gotten deeper when she formed a pout. "You're so doomed, _missy_. And I mean it. You're so going to regret that."

I curved one corner of my lips and there, a sardonic smirk on my face. "Hell yeah I am."

The brunette lass rolled her eyes. "If you were trying to be funny, you failed. Big time. And by the look you're giving me, I guess you're wondering why?" FYI, I _didn't_ give that kind of look at all; she was just trying to mess up with me. "Easy: I didn't crack even the slightest smile. Did you see what I actually cracked before? Yes, my hellish temper."

I was technically rolling on the fake bear skin rug, cackling till tears began to form at her act as a heinous roommate, in contradiction to her original character (caring, gentle, compassionate, yada, yada, yada) and I came to the conclusion that God didn't bother blessing each of us with the infamous deception technique. And that people, was _very_ disadvantageous.

"Anyway," she said after a moment of recovering from embarrassment, giving a proper smile at me this time. "Good morning."

"Hmm, Yori-chan, I thought 'good morning' was a forbidden phrase for you. I guess, people do change," I teased her as I headed towards the kitchen to grab one of the sandwiches I'd made yesterday from the fridge.

The peculiar feeling I'd got as silence fell upon the room and the knowledge that the only time Yori had ever ignored me was when she'd had this nasty stomachache, made me shoot her a look. I decided to take a seat on the small sofa in front of her.

"Something wrong?"

"Erm . . . so . . . " She looked unsure for a moment, but continued nevertheless. "Are you planning to go there? Again?"

I knew exactly what she meant by that and I wasn't about to ditch the topic even though it required some sort of dignity crusher. I'm Yuuki Cross, a girl who had been able to survive the unthinkable, so admitting that she was actually acting like a love-struck stalker should be a painless thing to do.

Or not.

The thought of his compelling gaze resulted in a tug at the heartstrings, and not to mention how the world around me seemed to be a lot shadier if to be compared to his astounding beauty when the image of him invaded my mind in the most improper times. Like now, for instance.

Despite those feelings, I pulled out my best perplexed look.

"What are you talking about, sweetheart? It's still early in the morning, but have you day-dreamed already? Gosh, I think you need some of those sweet and sour candies from the shop across the street to keep you up and about. Oh, maybe I'll buy it after finishing my class―"

"Yuuki."

"―and then we could hang out for a while at the nearby bar. Hopefully, there will be some cute foreign guys like the ones we met last week―"

"Yuuki!"

I guessed babbling wasn't going to help me keep my pride, shutting up would be a shrewd decision then.

This time my best friend had put down her newspaper, and then she took another sip from her cup, all the while fixing a deadly glare on me.

I grinned sheepishly at her. "What? I really don't know. I'm one hundred percent innocent. As in, as pure as a cute little girl's innocence or maybe a nun's innocence or even a puppy's innocence. And don't you dare look at me like that, you know it's a total mortification and if you were in my position, I bet on all the Gucci dresses I owned―which is nada by the way, so it's kind of a useless bet―that you would be doing the same thing as me. _Ditching_."

"Innocent my ass," she blurted out not surreptitiously enough for my hearing.

I hate her.

"_Excuse me_?"

"Err, yeah, forget about that."

Scratch that, I love her.

"That's my girl!"

Yori hesitated before quickly adding, "No, no. I mean forget about the witty remark I said, not _that_." She added again when I gave her a dirty look, "Okay, on second thought, let me rephrase . . . _stupid_ remark. But Yuuki . . ." she softened her voice. Finally. " . . . I don't understand. Why are you keeping that consistent visit? I mean, you wake up on seven a.m. every freaking morning since like, two weeks ago for . . . for _what_ actually, Yuuki?"

"But, I want to―"

"Don't give me the lame 'I-want-to-arrive-at-class-earlier' excuse because it only takes a ten-minute walk from here. Except if your new hobby is taking in the scenery of a whiteboard in one hour, undisturbed by other students. And I highly doubt that." I could guess where this conversation was heading to, and I was about to retort back, she didn't miss a beat, however. "No, I can't let you cut me off again this time, dear. I've never questioned any of your choices, even the ones I thought were . . . outlandish. Because I know you always have the right reasons behind your every decision." She stopped to catch her breath as I stared at her rather blankly. "Because I've known you for like forever, and through the times I've spent with you, I regard you as an astute, independent nineteen-year old girl who doesn't need to be looked after. Where has that girl gone to? All I'm looking at right now is a girl acting foolishly, for a complete stranger who could be anything." Her determined gaze pierced right through mine. "He could be a dropout. He could be a weirdo. Heck, he could even be a rapist!"

Say hello to the drama queen of the year.

"I understand your anxiousness, Yori." I threw the half-eaten sandwich to the nearby bin. My appetite had gone the second she chose to continue the topic. "But that's the whole point. You _don't _get it."

Anger wasn't quite the exact word for describing my current emotion, it was the opposite. Her words warmed my heart with an earnest affection I was grateful for, only there are some things I prefer to be left unspoken, to be left in the unreachable shadows. She did make a point, an indisputable one on top of that, about how I was jeopardizing my own mind by doing things that to most people would be called uncanny. And I didn't plan to deny that. The memory of his magnetizing sweet, chocolaty eyes, high-sculptured cheekbones, impeccable pale skin had never failed in sending my heartbeat pacing a little too fast for its own good. That proved just how uncanny I was.

Still . . . I could never ever, ever forget him. And I couldn't stop these stalking stuffs either. It was kind of harsh to call it stalking, since it only revolved around gawking at him in secret _and_ in awe . . . yeah, maybe the drooling thing wasn't acceptable. Okay. It was a teensy-bit repulsive. But, just like Yori's words, I had a reasonable explanation for it.

That destined morning, the only time when Yori forgot to tell me the day before that we had run out of coffee, freaking me out because I couldn't keep my eyes from shutting in classes without a high dose of caffeine in my bloodstream, and making me walk a good sum of miles to the nearest coffee shop. It was decent-sized, mostly constructed of woods and bricks, giving it the atmosphere of traditional houses in Western. I got myself a cup of warm hazelnut latte―my favorite―and was about to leave the place when the weather changed dramatically, from scorching hot to raining cats and dogs.

I remembered thinking to myself, _Great. My luck had just gone from bad to awful. Now, I won't even be surprised if a gorgeous guy accidentally spit in my latte._

A moment later, well, let's just say, God fulfilled my wish―or not, depending on how you look at it.

But of course, no one spat in my latte.

**... ... ... ... ...**

"_Excuse me," a velvety deep voice interrupted my train of thought. "Do you need an umbrella?"_

_I turned around, to be faced with a Greek God who held a transparent umbrella in his right hand._ Wow. He had to have worked out a lot. Look at those muscles . . . and those slender fingers. How I wish to be wrapped in his embr―

"_Uhm, miss?" The russet-haired man waved his unoccupied hand before my face, awaking me from my day-dream. _

_A warm sensation engulfed my cheeks and I was worried that he might take notice of my furious blush. "Oh . . . right. Umbrella." I frowned. "But, why do I need an umbrella?" The whole time I darted my gaze on the stone floor, too flabbergasted to take in another dazzling feature from him in less than a one-minute interval._

"_Well, because, it's raining rather heavily outside?" He said in amusement, which didn't do any good to my blush._

"_Of course! Ha ha ha ha. It was a joke. Yeah, of course it was."_

Good job, Yuuki Cross. You just blew off your chance to make a good impression.

Wait. Why do I need to impress this stranger?

_He didn't say anything afterwards, just handed the umbrella to me, so I had a hunch that his next move would be leaving but no, he startled me by saying, "By the way, miss?"_

Oh God, I think my legs are trembling._ "Yeah?"_

"_I'd be grateful if you look me in the eyes and say 'thank you' nicely, since in a way, I'm kind of your savior."_

_Despite the playful tone he used, his words still held a hint of seriousness that at first confused me, then deepened my red cheeks a few shades darker. I slowly raised my head and my eyes were locked with those deep, penetrating gaze that sent shivers down my spine. That I never thought would have such a dangerous impact on my life. On my _heart_. _

_Hang on . . . he looked strangely familiar._

_Where had I seen him? And when?_

"_Well?"_

_I shook my predicament off my head and managed to speak, although shakily, "Tha-thank you."_

_The last thing I saw was his meaningful smirk before he disappeared into the rain, leaving me all flustered and giddy. My eyes tried to locate the man clad in an all black outfit, but the rain obscured everything beyond five meters from my standing point. After a few minutes of failure, I sighed in disappointment. _

**... ... ... ... ...**

At that time, I'd never believed in those high school friends of mine who had confessed their love at first sight stories during Truth or Dare, they looked ridiculous, if not pathetic, with eyes radiating inexplicable exhilaration. I never once voiced my opinion to them; instead I smiled, laughed, and dated several cute boys whose names I didn't even remember. However, that one-minute exchange changed my perception completely.

I felt it. As silly as I might sound, I had to admit that I felt the chemistry I'd never experienced with any other guy in the past, which was weird, considering my lack of knowledge when it came to romance stuffs.

It just came up naturally, out of instinct.

Then the next day, after an exhausting session of convincing Yori―I told her the _whole_ story, which I regretted a second too late and ever since then she began to act like a nagging mother to such an extent―I came to the shop for the second time in hopes of meeting the guy and getting to know him. Stupid me, I was too engrossed in his perfection I'd overlooked some vital things girls must do when they meet boys they're interested in.

Like, asking for his name. Or his number.

Yep, of all the things I could forget, I chose that one.

He did come that day, still as good-looking as ever. Then I thought he cast a glance at my way, and I put on my best smile of course, but he acted like he'd never seen me, occupied a seat in the far corner of the place, and leisurely sipped his coffee as if nothing had happened. Saying that I was taken aback was an understatement of the century, I preferred the word 'heartbroken'.

I came again the day after then nonetheless and took a strategic seat, the one with the best view of him, behind a row of ornament bushes so he couldn't see me yet I could scrutinize him as much as I wanted, _needed_.

And again.

And again.

And again.

So did the man who didn't realize that every time he relished the bittersweetness of his warm coffee, a girl watched him closely enough to point out some of his habits; how he breathed in the scent before taking a sip, how his eyelids drooped a little when the black liquid made its way through his throat, how his lips formed the slightest hint of smile, contented with the taste.

"A penny for your thoughts?" a voice snapped me back to reality.

". . ."

"Seriously, Yuuki. What were you thinking?"

". . . things."

"What things?"

"Confidential ones."

"Talk about being vague." At such a time, she found rolling her eyes was an essential gesture. Way to be persuasive Yori. "I know it's none of my business and it's your own life we're talking about here. Some people eat meats, others don't. Just like them, our opinions might not always be on the same track, but long time ago, we've come to an agreement about one thing right? That love at first sight is only for those who don't have better things to do, and use it as a reason to avoid the inevitable truth, that true love doesn't exist anymore. It's been wiped off from the surface of our dear Earth. Utterly. Completely."

"Just because a guy has broken your heart, doesn't mean all guys out there are like him!" the words suddenly came out with an edge, shocking both Yori and myself.

I wished I hadn't said that when I saw a glint of pain passed by her hazel eyes, and disappeared the moment she batted her eyelids. "This is my last piece of advice. Stop stalking him, dreaming about him, imagining him in your shower, or whatever you've been doing all these times, and move on. There are still a bunch of other gorgeous men wishing to gain the same treatment from you. So instead of going to the freaking coffee shop, why don't you do some useful activities?"

I ignored her irritating speech. "Before that, I'm sorry about my sudden burst off . . . I didn't mean it like that."

The girl stood up from the chair she'd been sitting on, an earnest smile playing on her lips. "I know."

I was going to bear hug her, when she swiftly avoided it. "Damn! What was that, girl? I nearly landed face first on the floor!"

"Well, you don't expect me to forgive you that easily, do you?"

I blinked at her. "Are you serious?"

"You haven't told me what you're going to do about your stalking fever."

"But . . ."

"No buts! Now, you're going to move your ass, go to shower, brush your teeth―yeah, that morning breath of yours? Not so pleasant, honey―and go to the uni." The first and the second deed were okay, but the third? Nah, she wouldn't even know if I changed direction, right? "No, no. I've foreseen the possibility of cheating, and I've come up with a great solution." Oh no. "I'm going to go with you. And considering the distance between your uni and mine, we're going to leave earlier so I won't be late for class. Deal?"

Chagrined, I puffed my cheeks and narrowed my eyes to show my resolute determination. "No way. I'm not going to go even if hell freezes over and pigs learn to fly."

"Well, I've anticipated that reaction too . . ." At this point, I smelled something fishy about the way her voice raised a few notches higher. "So . . . I've decided on something."

"And what you meant by 'something' is . . . ?"

"You're going to pay the rent at its original price if you don't listen to me."

I closed my agape mouth and dared to ask, "And that's because?"

"I'm going to move out."

"_What_?"

"I'm going to move out," she repeated.

". . . _what_?"

"Okay, are you deaf or what?"

I bit down my lower lips, subsequently shut my eyes, breathing in a lungful of air and releasing it in annoyance. I cursed mentally when realization dawned upon me: my roommate is studying law to pursue her dream, which is becoming a mega-successful lawyer, and winning an argument is her forte to begin with.

"Fine."

She shot me a nerve-wrecking triumphant smile. "I really, really love you, Yuuki."

"Oh, really? It seems you've got a one-sided feeling then." I left the living room to take a shower, too tired to deal with the inventive acts she had up her sleeves.

"I know you love me too!"

I was torn between two mouth-watering choices; to strangle the loose cannon to death then and there or feed her to the lions.

**... ... ... ... ...**

The stern second mother I had had left me unaccompanied in front of the university's gate five minutes ago. I remembered her face was gleaming with delight at her own achievement as a non-official lawyer when she said farewell to me, receiving a glare in return.

"_You're digging your own grave, dear,"_ I'd hissed through my gritted teeth.

She'd worn that vile smile of hers. _"Hell yeah I am."_

Yori Wakaba is the kind of person who won't back up at any cost when she has put her mind on something, especially when it involves her dear ones, and that side of her is the power glue that sticks us up together for ten years, that makes me admire her in secret. But, as I was saying, when it involves her dear ones, she could be a little too . . . _assertive_. That, added with the stalking thingy, resulted in a girl who doesn't take no as an answer.

I didn't blame her, however. The memory of that douche bag breaking my best friend's heart into pieces was still crystal-clear in my head, of how her eyes were hollow, losing its usual shine in the next couple of months. Watching her lose her bearings every day had made my heart hurt like crazy and I wished I was there when she found the man she'd been dating for four years kissing some low-life girl from another school, so I could beat the hell out of them. But it was too late, she was already broken, and everything she'd ever believed in was shattered right before her eyes.

I ambled along the pathway that led towards the garden, taking my time in the serenity. The university was quite vacant at this time of the day, except for some lecturers or students who need to finish their assignments. Several benches were placed on the garden's best spots―before a small concrete fountain, beside a medium-sized fish pond, under a large cherry blossom tree. I smiled at the last one and decided to occupy it.

That was when I saw him.

My best hunch was that I was deluding as the aftereffect of dwelling in the past too much, but as I was getting closer and closer to the man leaning back on the tree, noticing his messy russet hair and the unusual all black clothing, he was certainly the guy Yori hated with all her heart.

I was neither deluding nor imagining things.

_Right? _

After a moment of reluctance, I called out, "The guy in black!"

Sure, it wasn't a very smart nickname, but at least he could turn his head to me. "Hey! Excuse me?"

Eventually, he glanced at my way, his brows raising out of surprise it seemed, and for a second I found it hard to breathe in normally. "Were you calling me?"

"Yes. You're the only one around here who wears black from head to toe, you know." I said, smiling up at him.

I thought I saw him flinch before saying, "I guess you're right. So umbrella girl, what's up?"

Biting my lower lip, I tried to keep my composure and looked at anywhere but his penetrating gaze. "I was going to return the umbrella to you two weeks ago but . . ." I was restraining the urge to fidget, giving it my all. ". . . you ig―"

"I ignored you."

His statement snapped my head up and sent a hurtful punch in the heart, but as I was met with a pair of familiar orbs, morphing my legs into Jell-O, I regretted my act almost immediately. "Yes. That's what I'm going to say."

The man stood still on his spot. "You still don't remember me?"

I frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course I remember you. How could I recognize you, then?"

From my place, I could tell he was mulling over something to the point of exhaustion, if how he released a deep sigh was any indication. He suddenly looked at my way and furrowed his dark brows, as if I'd done something that had gotten on his nerves.

"Why in the world are you looking at me like that?"

He began to walk towards my direction, initiating the first sign of my crumbling resolve not to fidget, his eyes was smothered with disappointment. What it meant was still a mystery to me. "Do you remember your first day in high school?"

"Yes. But, why are you asking me that?"

"Do you remember there was this huge horde on the sidewalk?"

I raised a brow at his question which honestly had gotten more and more private, a huge storm of confusion, curiosity, and horror was whirling around my head at the same time. "How do you know that?"

His voice had gotten hoarser the moment he said, "Do you remember there was a boy laying pathetically on the dirty ground because his bicycle had been hit by a ruthless bastard's car, but no one wanted to lend him a hand considering his bad reputation as the only son of a Yakuza boss?"

That was . . . crossing the line dividing our positions; the stalker girl and the stranger.

"_Who are you really?_" I gave my best in glaring daggers at him, since it was quite hard to do anything evil towards, well, my own crush.

"And then you decided to call for help, carry his body to the nearest bench, and let him drink your water until an ambulance turned up."

That was . . . strange?

"Okay, on second thought, I'm going to class now. Good bye and once again thank you for the umbrella." I turned my back at him, barely managed to take three steps ahead when his large hand circled my wrist, bringing me to a halt.

I whirled around and pulled my hand with all the strength I had, but his grip was the kind that needed some sort of super power to be broken through. It was firm, yet painless.

"What do you want?" I noticed my voice raised an octave higher―an embarrassing habit I still hadn't found the way to overcome―thanks to my anxiety.

"_You._"

I was too nervous to even ask what he meant by that. "Have you taken the wrong medicine this morning, mister? Because right now, you're acting like a crazy pervert."

He smirked. "Says the girl whose hobby is stalking a grown-up man."

He might as well drop a bomb on me, or put a bullet in my skull. Either way, I was so, so doomed. "What do you mean?"

Yeah, I knew. My bad acting skill and all, but it was worth a try, wasn't it?

"Well, it was obvious you were ogling me the whole time, even if you tried to hide behind the greenery. Though luck, stal―"

I put my free hand on his mouth to stop him, and was about to faint due to the feeling of ecstasy. I touched his perfect lips. Oh, I so wasn't going to wash that hand. "Not so loud, mister."

He frowned. "Don't call me mister, it sounds old."

I mimicked his gesture, pulling my hand down. "Well, sorry for not being that creative. I was too taken aback by the fact that a pervert has held my hand in captive."

"I'll release it if you promise to stay."

"Okay."

_You wish._ _I'll run away as soon as you let go of my hand. _

Much to my surprise, and mortification, he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I'll tell the whole world about that unique hobby of yours if you try to even take a step away from where you are right now."

"Are you threatening me?" I hissed when he removed his grip, leaving a certain spot on my wrist empty and cold.

Instead of answering my question, he introduced himself, "My name is Kaname Kuran."

I blinked. "_What?_"

"Does that ring a bell?"

"Wha―"

_Kaname Kuran._

I laughed at myself. Of course. How else could he know those details?

Kaname Kuran was the only guy in my past that I'd ever truly cared, the guy whose life was so murky I felt the need to look after him, to make sure that he could live his life to the fullest without a care of his background. His father was famous as a man of few words, and considered all bark and no bite as a serious crime, a crime worth severe punishment. He sold drugs. He sold women. He even took others' life when he felt the needed to.

The problem was, Kaname always acknowledged himself as the son of a callous killer, drugs dealer, and others I couldn't name of, instead of a normal high school guy, and so did my friends and family. It was one of the many reasons―as a human being, my conscience encouraged me to do some good deeds and as a friend of those who hated him, I felt guilty―of why I helped him that day, and told him to come to me when he needed to talk to someone, when everyone seemed to turn their back on him.

Yori didn't know any of these things though.

And she wouldn't in the near future, as long as my lips are sealed.

At first he didn't take my offer, but then after a few weeks or so, he started to meet me every time I was in the library, reading my favorite classic novels. Just like his father, he didn't talk much. He only sat across the table and stared at me who was reading the whole time, making my palms damp, my heartbeat pace faster, or my cheeks turn burning red. I remembered he uttered something like, 'You read a lot, don't you?' and 'What book are you reading?" but never had he talked about his life. Despite the limited words between us, we understood each other through meaningful gestures, and as time passed by, he appeared to have come into terms with his father or the treatments others had been giving him, which in truth was an elating fact for me, but . . .

. . . after twenty meetings, he suddenly disappeared into thin air, right when I thought my feelings towards him had changed into something more. No one knew his whereabouts, _not even his family_, rumor had said.

I refused to be depressed over someone who didn't even bother telling me good bye. So, I'd erased him from my past, my present, and I thought my future. Apparently, fate had a cruel way of destroying someone's plan.

I observed the man standing in front of me.

He didn't look anything like the sixteen-year-old boy I knew . . . the bangs that used to cover his eyes had been cut short, revealing a pair of eyes that even though dark and deep, undeniably shone with happiness I never thought he could ever have.

"You've removed your glasses, why?"

"The same reason as to why you wear make-up every day. Well, that and . . . to impress you."

The whole time my brain was squeezed by thousands of thoughts, thinking about how he made me believe in love at first sight, about how he created a typhoon inside my mind, and about how he abandoned me.

"Why did you leave? What happened?" Beads of tears rolled down my cheeks, and he on the other hand, smiled at me.

_What. The. Hell._

I punched his rock hard chest, wincing at the throbbing pain that followed. Damn his muscles. "You mean jerk! Do you know how worried I was? How scared I was? I thought you were killed and your body has been dumped into the Pacific Ocean, eaten by one of those toothy, menacing sharks! I thought―"

He'd pulled me into an embrace, his hand rubbed my back up and down reassuringly, and murmured in my ears, "I'm sorry, Yuuki. I couldn't tell you. I couldn't take the risk of bringing you with me . . . I don't want you to get hurt."

In between sobs, I managed to ask for the second time, "What happened?"

". . ."

"Where did you go, Kaname?"

He took a deep breath. "I got into a big fight with my father. I said I didn't want to inherit his dirty business or whatever he considered it to be, and I wanted to leave the family." He humorlessly laughed. "It doesn't even deserve to be called a 'family'. A bunch of beings consisted of a ruthless man, dying woman and child maybe, but definitely not a _family_."

I hugged him tighter, hoping against hope that the gesture would take away the memory of his downright horrid broken family. It was hard not to feel dejected over his confession, but with the determination I had left, my tears had stopped from falling uncontrollably. Burying my head in his chest, I devoured the smell of sandalwood and leather, then said the words from the depths of my heart, "I'm so sorry, Kaname."

He curved a tight smile on his lips. "Yeah. Well, I decided to stay out of the city for a while, until things die down. And fortunately, the tiniest part of the old guy's heart still held a teeny affection towards his woman and his own flesh and blood, so he declared his decision: he'll leave me and my mother alone if we promise to keep it low."

I felt like jumping, dancing, singing, or anything that smelled of bliss. "It's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Yuuki."

The way he said my name sent shivers down my spine, and a part of me yearned for him to whisper it in my ears over, and over, and over again . . .

. . . okay, I sounded weird.

"But, I'm confused about several things." I tilted my head and frowned.

"Like what?"

"Why did you ignore me in the coffee shop?"

"Deliberate action to make you peeved."

I reluctantly released my body from his embrace to make him see my face, scowling while hissing, "What. Did. You. Say?"

He formed a lopsided smile; apparently my rage was a funny thing to him. "You're adorable when you're mad."

"I'm so going to kill you, _Kaname Kuran_!"

"Try me."

"I'm serious."

"Me too."

"Well, I'm more serious than you."

"I don't mind being killed by you."

I couldn't help but pouted like a toddler since I didn't know any other ways to react to his cute answer, placed both hands on my hip, and breathed in a lungful of air to gain my composure. "So, simply to put, you actually knew me when you gave me that umbrella, mentally snickered at my stupid answer, deliberately ignored me the whole time, just to . . . what did you say?"

_Please, Kaname, just take the freaking hot smirk of yours off that flawless face._ "To make you peeved. FYI, I didn't snicker, I . . . guffawed."

"Ha ha. Way to be funny, mister." I narrowed my eyes. "Anyway, back to the topic. How's your mother doing?"

"Great. She exceeded my expectation, even though at first she was a little bit rough." His eyes gleamed of something I couldn't interpret, a mix of deep emotions I didn't understand, but he quickly removed it and changed the direction of our conversation. "Now, let's talk about you."

I didn't want to push him too far, so I followed his will, even though the tedious explanation about my current life wouldn't be that much of an interesting story. "Well, other than the fact that Yori despises you so much even before meeting you in person, my life is pretty much the same as before. My parents are still in Kyoto, too stubborn to leave their dear hometown. And here I am, a girl in her second year of college, studying literature and living in Tokyo with her best friend."

"Mind to tell me why does she hate me?" He looked confused.

I shrugged. "She hates every guy I love."

"What?"

Oh damn.

Me and my big mouth.

"Err, yeah, I mean, sh-she hates every single male being in this world. I remember that one time when two cockroaches invaded our bathroom and she killed the male one without hesitation and let the other go . . . I don't even know how she differentiated their genders . . ."

"Yuuki."

". . . maybe she has a spiritual connection with female beings all over the world. So, yeah, I think you should be more careful from now on be―"

"Shut up."

He yanked me to him and crushed his lips onto mine with unquenchable hunger and passion, then those motives morphed into something more pure, more innocent, and overwhelmed with unmistakable tenderness, flowing from him to me through our moving lips or intertwined fingers. His lips were so warm and sweet I thought I was going to explode under the cherry blossom tree, a place I'd remember my whole life, a place where I shared my first kiss with the guy whose caress was unimaginably soft.

When he broke the kiss, we were both leaning on each other's forehead, breathing hard.

I took a peek at him through my bangs. "Well, now I'm pretty sure I love you."

He smirked. "Ditto."

I circled my hands around his neck to hug him tightly with the purpose of never letting go. "I'll never let you walk alone."

Before he could answer, a sudden gust of wind blew off my long dark brown locks, and by the rustle above me, it was obvious that the flowers were getting the same treatment. My lover (wow, I just called him that) put his right hand on the small of my back, whereas his other hand tugged a strain of loose hair behind my ear, and whispered, "Ditto."

I frowned. "Can't you use another word? I kept thinking about Pokémon every time you said that, and it really ruined the mood."

Chuckling, he kissed the top of my head. "Well, I'm a man of few words, remember?"

I couldn't restrain the urge to roll my eyes at him but he just replied me with another chuckle, and really, had my stomach stopped churning, I would've kissed him once more.

Urm, I mean, I would've punched his chest.

Wait . . . I'd tried that one and failed. Miserably.

"Whatever you want, _mister_." I formed my triumphant smile when his face contorted. "But, I'm still wondering . . ."

"About what?"

"Why were you here in the first place anyway?"

"Well, because I'm a student here?"

He never got tired of surprising me, it seemed. "What!? Since when?"

"Since today," he answered me in a way that was light and without a hint of remorse.

"Why haven't you told me?" I was a little bit pissed off by his negligence behavior, and to emphasize my annoyance, I pulled down my hands from his neck, folding it across my chest.

He shrugged as he headed to the bench; his long, slender feet covered the distance with only three steps. "Because you didn't ask."

I sat beside him after he motioned me to, leaning my head on his warm shoulder. "You're so annoying sometimes, you know."

"I know," he murmured ever so softly.

I closed my eyes to engulf myself in the tranquility that the garden offered, I knew he did too by the way his chest rose and fell in rhythm. Sometimes I could hear the sound of water falling from the fountain far behind us, the chirping of birds, or the indistinct chatter of people.

Suddenly he broke the silence, "Oh, by the way, I'm studying law."

Oh no. This wasn't a good sign.

"Don't tell me you're going to be a lawyer."

He looked at me questioningly. "Actually, I am. What's the problem?"

I snaked my hand around his waist, smiling from cheek to cheek, and said, "Nothing."

I didn't tell him he would have a daunting prodigy as his potential competitor in the future.

Well, who told him to be mean to me?

**... ... ... ... ... .. .FIN**

* * *

**A/N:**

Oh my God, my fingers feel numb after writing this one shot, and to be honest, I don't have the energy left to type but . . . I want everyone around the world to know that school has started! And I'm really thrilled by the amount of lessons, homework, and tests my teacher has been planning on giving to their dear students!

Uhm, no.

Anyways, whether you love it, like it, or even _hate_ it, feel free to tell me by reviewing, and as for those who hate it (I hope there isn't any) no flames, please.

Ciao :3


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